Improvement in leather crimping and folding machines



H. CHAR*MBLIRY.i LEATHEHCMMPING MTD FOLDINGMACHINE. No. 182,066. Y Fatenced Sept. 3,2,187

@ma my UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

HENRY OHARMBURY, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN LEATHER CRIMPING ANDFOLDINGMACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l 82,060, dated September 12, 1876; application filed February 4, 1816.

To all whom it may concern Be' it known that I, HENRY OHARMBUBY, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, but at present residing in the city of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Machine for Crimping and Folding Leather or other similar material or fabric used as a substitute for leather; and I do hereby declare the`following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawing, making part of this specification, in Which- Figure l is a top View of my said invention, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the center of Fig. l.

The object ofmy invention is to fold, crimp, and turn over the edge of leather or other material or fabric used as a substitute for leather, and employed in the manufacture of shoes, harness, pocket-books, traveling bags, and other like articles; and especially where it is desired to turn the edges of the leather, cloth, or fabric cut in curved points or scallops, or small curves upon a large curve, as in the case of button-shoes, for example, where the edges are scalloped or pointed, and'cnrved around each button-hole, althoughthe invention is applicable to the folding or crimping of leather or other fabric ormaterial where it is desirable to scallop or curve, point and fold, or turn over the edge, whatever may be its outline. Y

My invention consists of a bed plate or frame fitted with a sliding, folding, and pressing iron, and combined with a movable disk or plate, fitted with clamps, and arranged in relation to the folding-iron in such manner as to bring the outside surfaceof the disk upon the same plane with the bottom surface of the folding and pressing iron, the front end of which is to be scalloped or made with curved points, and arranged to correspond with the scalloped or curved pointed edge of the material to be folded, and with the edge of the clamping-plates that hold the material while the folding is being done.

The substantial construction of this l invention is illustrated in the drawing. The frame or bed-plate is shown by'A; the

folding or pressing iron by B 5 the disk by C,

and the clamps by D D. These are the principal parts of the machine, and they are con-v structed, arranged, and operated in relation to each other substantially as follows: The bed-plate is made hollow, to admit a jet of gas under the folding and pressing iron, for the purpose of heating it, in case of need, and the top of said bed-plate is'fitted with a pair of cleats, a a, to hold and guide the pressingiron upon the bed-'plate and disk G. The bottom side or edges of the iron is fitted with projections to correspond with and fit under the cleatsa a, and slide in them. The front -end of the iron is scalloped or curved pointed,

either upon a curved or a straight line, as

may be desired, to match the scalloped or curved pointed edge to be folded or pressed. The disk C is in this case circular, and is pivoted upon its axis in front of the folding end of the iron, and arranged to revolve about its axis with its top surface upon the same plane with the bottom of the pressing-iron, "the periphery-or out edge' of the plate being supported -upon a suitable bearing in the bed- V v plate in front of the folding end of the iron. The clamping-plates D D are sunken in the top side of the disk, which is cut out a depth equal to the thickness of the clamping-plate, and the thickness of the leather or other fabric when folded, so as to bring the folded surface of the leatherilush with the top surface of the disk, as shown by Fig. 2 of the drawing. The clamping plates are hinged across the center of the disk in the recess cut to receive them, upon a pivot-bar, fb, andthey are held down by means of swinging clamps f, pivoted to the disk, and arranged to bearI against an inclined plane or cam, d, made upon the top of the clamping-plates D. 4lhe outer edge of the clamping-plates are scalloped or curved pointed to suit the edge of the leather or fabric to be folded, as is also the outline of the recess cut in the top of the disk, the clamping-plates being made to match the recess, but a trifle smaller, to leave room for the leather or other fabric be tween them, as shown by the drawing.

The operation is as follows: Let the disk be in the position shown by the drawing, and let the pressingiron be moved back off ofthe disk let the clamps D be raised up, the

lleather inserted, and the clamp secured in the manner shown. The leather is then cut in the angles e e'e; the iron is -then pressed forward and falls over the edge ot' theleather, and presses it down on thcclamp; the iron is then shoved back, and the disk turned until the catch h on the spring Jdrops in the notch i; the iron is then shoved forward, and the edges of the other three points or scallops are folded and pressed down, as before, and so on, until the entire edges ot' both sides under thetwo clamps are folded.l The front end of the iron in the drawing has but three scallops or curved points, but they may, of course, be

, 2. A curved pointed or scalloped clampingplate, in combination `with a disk, to secure the leather ,to be folded and pressed.

3. A disk, arranged to rotate about its own axis, in combination with a reciprocating folding-iron, the face of the disk and the foldingviron to be arranged upon the saine plane.

4. One or more clamping-plates, made with a curved pointed or scalloped edge, in combination with a disk, arranged to rotate, and a pressing orfoldin g iron, to fold and press the edges.

5. The spring J, in combination with the rotatingidisk, to fix it in the desired position. 6. A'disk, provided with the grooves e e e upon its face, to indicate the places to which the leather or other material is'to be folded,

substantially as specified.

HENRY GHARMBURY.

Witnesses:

AMos BRoADNAX, J osEPH WALDEN. 

